NintendoMikeC thoughtshttps://nintendomikec.wordpress.com
Gaming and my amateur analyzing on gamingTue, 14 Aug 2018 19:37:46 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://nintendomikec.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/20160615213235.jpg?w=32NintendoMikeC thoughtshttps://nintendomikec.wordpress.com
3232Back Again… Sorry for the absensehttps://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/2017/12/11/back-again-sorry-for-the-absense/
https://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/2017/12/11/back-again-sorry-for-the-absense/#respondMon, 11 Dec 2017 19:43:18 +0000http://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/?p=1609Hey guys NintendoMikeC here again and I first want to apologize my long absence. I honestly do not know why I just disappeared but, if you did enjoy my content then I sincerely apologize for just leaving. And hopefully you’ll come back. Now that we got that out of the way, let me share my thoughts on recent gaming topics.

This blog I will share my thoughts on The Game Awards on the night of December 7th. To get it out of the way, yes I was going for The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild for Game of the Year. I will give credit and huge congratulations to Player Unknowns Battleground, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Super Mario Odyssey and Persona 5. Now on with it shall we… First I want to say that Geoff Keighley and his entire crew that helped made this years Game Awards a big success. It was really enjoyable and well paced also. And I want to share a big congratulations to Nintendo for winning Best Family, Best Strategy, Best Handheld, Best Action/Adventure, Best Direction and Game of the Year and of course of its 26 total nominations.

One of my favorite moments was the music that was featured. I love music in video games and I think it is the most important thing I look for in game and for Geoff to get an amazing orchestra band to showcase the music of the nights nominees is great way to do it.

The announcements that were (lets face it I am pretty sure you wanted me to talk about this) were great… not amazing but great. First I would like to point out that the teaser trailer for From Software newest game is basically Bloodborne 2… I hope. The trailer only showed what looked like some device, probably for torture and it said that only “Shadows Die Twice”. Which makes it all more the reason for to be a sequel for Bloodborne. I loved the first game so much and it was the game to basically get me into the ‘Souls’ games (even though I only played this and Dark Souls III) but HEY! It’s here and I do really hope it is Bloodborne 2 and it’s been a long time to for it to have a sequel. Anyways moving on before I ramble on too much about my love for Bloodborne.

On to my next love… Bayonetta which she too made an apperence Reggie Fis-Aime was there to announce that Bayonetta 1 & 2 would be coming for Nintendo Switch on Feburary 16th of next year so not long from now. And… wait a second wait no way, is it YES! FINALLY A BAYONETTA 3 will also be coming to Nintendo Switch as an exclusive. Look after the end of Bayonetta 2 it still opened up to another wild fun adventure. I was just sitting and waiting for to it happen. And it did happen! Pretty sure that this will be a 2019 title so we don’t know much on details on what the story will be and could it be the end of Bayonetta journey. Only time will tell.

This next game I am going to share my thoughts, and try to keep it short is Hideo Kojima newest baby… Death Stranding. So for about basically three Game Award shows we have seen this game in some of the most amazing showings and epic showcases of how weird in-yet amazing Kojima-san is. Death Stranding is game where we can assume we play as Normen Reedus character named Sam. The game story is still very much something that the entire gaming industry still doesn’t know yet and we’ll probably going to find out when the game launches on, we don’t know when. If you don’t know Kojima style of storytelling then stop reading and just play any Metal Gear game of HIS (not Koami) and sit back and enjoy. That much of his style is still very much shown here. This trailer by the way guys was over 9 minutes long. Pretty sure when Geoff saw this he was like “Yeah 9 minutes that is totally fine”. What I can say what the trailer showed was an inviscible monster, a Giant whatever you like to call it monster, Sam saying something about explosions and a baby inside him… alive… giving a thumbs up to the camera. If you haven’t seen it go sear… better yet I’ll post here. Again it’s 9 minutes but it is so worth it!

Next game I want share is Soul Caliber VI, everyone’s probably like what third favorite fighting game besides Capcom’s Street Fighter and Namco’s Tekken franchises. I am happy to hear that is coming back, I’ve always wanted to get into the series (casual of course) I’m not that great at games especially in the fighting scene. Hopefully there will be a Switch version so they can do the same approch from Soul Caliber II and bring a certain Nintendo character *cough* Link… *cough* back into the game. Check out the trailer below.

Now that is just a few of the announcements that caught my interest if I miss anymore please share your thoughts below and sorry if I missed any of em. Let’s take a moment and talk about Josef Fares. Who is he? Oh he is the creator of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons and his newest upcoming game A Way Out coming out next year. You probably saw that game during EA’s press conference back at E3, it’s really cool game where co-op is basically a MUST in this game otherwise won’t be as fun. But this guy, haha… this guy I am not sure he was drunk or something but, he was a highlight. Why? because of what he did, he before talked about his game talked about how cool the show was with the audience and the location and just the vibes he was enjoying the time. And then he went on like a little rant about how the Oscars is wack and boring it is, I don’t know but it was just a weird highlight that I wanted to talk about lightly.

Overall, I was very happy with the show. Geoff and his crew once again did a great job as I mention before at the top. Notable wins I will shout out are;

Best RPG – Persona 5

Best Indie Game – Cuphead

Best Debut Game – Cuphead

Best Action Game – Wallenstein II

Best VR/AR Game – Resident Evil VII

Best Fighting Game – Injustice 2

Best Sport/Racing Game – Forza Motorsport 7

Those are just some of the big key winners from the nights award show. If you watched the Game Awards share your thoughts in the comments below on your thoughts. What did you like and what did you like?

Thanks for reading see ya soon!

]]>https://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/2017/12/11/back-again-sorry-for-the-absense/feed/0nintendomikecNintendoMikeC Recommendations: April Editionhttps://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/2017/04/28/nintendomikec-recommendations-april-edition/
https://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/2017/04/28/nintendomikec-recommendations-april-edition/#respondFri, 28 Apr 2017 19:30:09 +0000http://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/?p=1585Hey guys, how are you enjoying Nintendo Switch? Still playing Zelda? Or are you looking for something to pass the time until ARMS or even Splatoon? Well have no fear I have some great recommendations for your Nintendo Switch that you can play for the next big game. So let’s get started!

Starting out, if you like 3D platformers then try out the game Snake Pass. You play as a cute vegetarian snake named Noodle. After waking up from a nap from his buddy Doodle the Hummingbird his home was trashed by some unknown force. Think like a snake to collect coins, bubbles and artifacts (which is most important) to continue on with the level. To move around you must think like a snake of course. Moving left and right will move Noodle faster, coiling around a bamboo pole will help you climb up to grab things of the ledge. As you climb you can grip to move your head around to reach for items to collect. This one of my favorite new 3D platformers of this year already, Snake Pass is on the Nintendo eShop for $19.99.

Next up we have Graceful Explosion Machine a classic 2D shooter. 2D shooters are some of the most fun ever, even by yourself. You take control of a ship that has 4 different weapons. A beam weapon with unlimited ammo however can burnout if fired too much. A Sword that rotates around the ships to eliminate anyone coming close. Missiles that can be fired in any direction and long-range beam weapon. With all of these different kind of weapons available from the start you’re in for a wild ride. Now one thing to note is all the weapons except for the standard blaster uses ammo, when eliminating enemies on the screen you find little orbs collecting these will replenish your bar so you can continue your assault. But, be careful the enemies are no pushover, the will come in large numbers to surround you. Graceful Explosion Machine is out now on the Switch eShop for $12.99.

You like Nightcrawler from the X-Men series? Then check out Mr. Shifty a game where you play as a teleporting dude and beat up lots and I mean lots of bad guys. The story is simple you play as Mr. Shifty who wears a red cap and long blue trench coat and again beat up bad guys. Purpose is simple, steal some plutonium from this guy named Mr. Stone. With 18 stages to fight through the game through some challenges along the way. Mr. Shifty can die with single hit so be sure to watch out for bullets, missiles, explosions and even fists. Mr. Shifty is out now for the eShop for $14.99

Next up is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe I mean c’mon outside of Breath of the Wild this one of the games we all have been waiting to play. A port of the critically acclimend Mario Kart 8 on WiiU, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe gets a second wind with new characters of Bowser Jr, King Boo and Inkling Boy & Girl to join the party. A revamped battle mode with the classic area style stages from the previous games. Trust me this is something that everybody wanted and just that classic Mario Kart fun with your friends and family. Mario Kart 8 to me is the best in the series so far even though I have already played this game on my WiiU the fact that I can take that some chaos on the go with me is the most exciting part honestly. When I am out and about I really can’t wait for someone to walk by and ask me to race a few with them. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is out now in stores and eShop for $59.99.

So there you have it my Switch game recommendations for the month of April. If you have games that you would like to suggest share with me in the comments below.

]]>https://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/2017/04/28/nintendomikec-recommendations-april-edition/feed/0nintendomikecCall of Duty: WWIIhttps://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/2017/04/26/call-of-duty-wwii/
https://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/2017/04/26/call-of-duty-wwii/#respondWed, 26 Apr 2017 22:12:24 +0000http://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/?p=1553Today was another big day for Call of Duty fans around the world. Today marked the official announcement of the next entry to the franchise titled “Call of Duty: WWII”. For the first time in a long time I might add, the series will be returning to its World War II roots since the beginning. Why is this exciting? Simple because to me I have been a big fan of old school Call of Duty. I have played the original when first launched. Playing that game with my brothers, Dad and his friends. Saturday nights were awesome. That is just the Call of Duty I have been missing. The last game I played in the series was Black Ops. Since then I have missed out every other game and it was because I couldn’t just follow it anymore. To me after Activision decided to move on from WWII to Modern Warfare those were some of the strongest since then. But, after those games I wasn’t into their future incarnation of the series (Advanced Warfare, Black Ops II-III and Infinite Warfare).

Now that the series is returning to era which in world history was one of the most violent wars that effected many different countries. I am super excited to see how this one will turn out. World War II is one of my favorite historical events. As a military brat growing up watching films that took place on the era always interested me. Films such Saving Private Ryan and Tuskegee Airmen even the HBO mini series Band of Brothers told stories from that war. Reading and learning about was a big interest. One of my favorite operations is the most recognized “D-Day”. The operation to take back France the German Occupants. Weather it’s storming the beaches or jumping behind enemy lines I hope Call of Duty: WWII can offer great moments.

Personally for me after Modern Warfare 2 I really couldn’t think that the series couldn’t get any better. But, as time moved on, I got tired of the rinse and repeat of the franchise and after Black Ops I was done with the series. To me, the series never innovated itself enough to try to keep me playing and coming back. What the series used to offer was a compelling story with characters that players cared about. Legendary characters like Captain Price and Captain Foley from the original games. Campaigns that were really based on the real thing, such as 101st Airborne Units attacking and taking out long-range German weapons that were hitting the beaches. Or even rescue missions to find lost comrades. Now with the series into the futuristic aspect, playing pretend and situations that’s just too over-the-top for me. The approach that Sledgehammer Games (Advanced Warfare) is now taking back to its roots which is good ol’ fashioned boots on the ground combat is something I needed in the series.

Hopefully now that we got the futuristic vibes out of our systems and just hit the restart button on some shooter franchises we can appreciate it even more. Both Call of Duty: WWII and Battlefield 1 can still show that just having boots on the ground style gameplay is the best way to go. Wall running, high advanced technology and other features are fine, but, nothing beats classic quick movement, quick shooting and see who can fire the fastest always win. Who knows now, DICE after Star Wars Battlefront II, they too will go back to classic World War II as well. It worked out great with them going back to a War era that hasn’t been taken on yet with World War I. I do hope if the game turns out right that I can finally enjoy a Call of Duty game for once after over 6 years of not playing the series. Will I play the multiplayer? Hm depends, I don’t participate a lot in multiplayer, but, for this one I just might.

Check out the trailer if you haven’t. Visually impressive kind of curious to learn about the engine that is running it. Story looks great and like I said it’s just that classic old school, gritty combat that I have been missing from the series. Really glad and can’t wait to play it.

If you’re looking forward to it, share your comments down below.

]]>https://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/2017/04/26/call-of-duty-wwii/feed/057238_36_call-duty-wii-standalone-co-op-story-mode_fullnintendomikecLEGO City Undercover… A Week Laterhttps://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/2017/04/21/lego-city-undercover-a-week-later/
https://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/2017/04/21/lego-city-undercover-a-week-later/#respondSat, 22 Apr 2017 01:09:44 +0000http://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/?p=1521Hey guys NintendoMikeC here, how are you guys doing? Sorry for a little bit of lack of content, been busy with work and personal matters but, stay tuned for great content coming soon. That being said, LEGO City Undercover, have you played it before? Or is this your first time playing it? Well, earlier I bought it for my WiiU and the little bit of time I had with it was fun, awesome and enjoyable. Why didn’t I finish it on the WiiU? The Switch and knowing the fact that it would be coming for the Switch. So yes I bought it twice, but with Breath of the Wild finished, LEGO City was the next open world game to tackle on. So far I have about just over 50 percent of the game finished (not bad with only a week).

So lets talk about it, this game you play as the passionate police officer named Chase McCain. He loves protecting the people of LEGO City. Now that Chase is back from a small retirement, his arch-enemy named Rex Fury has escaped from prison after he put him there. It will be up to Chase and his friends Ellie and Frank to support him along the way.

Now that we know what our purpose is, how does the game play? Well much like an open world game, driving and just exploring the City itself is there. However there are many areas where you can access yet. Much like a traditional LEGO games where you need certain characters to unlock areas, this game being as a Police officer and the game does have Undercover in the title, as you partake in the story missions, you will acquire disguise. Ranging in all kinds of variety and not what you expect. Like you can be a miner then disguise yourself to be a firefighter then a space astronaut. There is a total of 7 different disguise that you can use in the overworld and as you go back to discover more secrets in the levels.

Going through levels is simple and straight forward and of course being this is a LEGO game, you get to build amazing things to further progress the level. Of course you will fight criminals and actually handcuff them. Later on you will learn a grapple move so you can throw one bad guy into another or even execute counter moves.

One big new thing you get to collect outside of the studs (in-game currency) you collect building blocks from destroying well…everything. What these building bricks do is another form of currency but, to build amazing structures. Like statues, bridges, call-in points (in case you need a ride) and many more. With over 60 to build located throughout the City better stock up.

Much like in other LEGO games collecting is something that (is not important) but a big factor in the series. From characters, vehicles, red brick and of course gold bricks. There is so much to collect, find and even purchase to get the completion percentage rate up. Again it’s not necessary but, it is something to keep you active during your playthrough. As you play the overworld is so big and there is always something to do too. Like doing free run trails, time trials, chasing after aliens and even stopping a gang from causing trouble. Every where you turn LEGO City has something to keep you busy before you take on your next assignment.

Little things I didn’t enjoy with this game is when your exploring on rooftops in the overworld you don’t get to fully control the camera. Instead it will go into a fixed a position and sometimes can cause some confusion in your sense of direction. Along with that as your driving around the City you can’t control the camera during those moments also. There are some small frame drops in some areas like inside buildings or even when you’re in front of like a water fountain and you jump the frames drop for a moment. Lastly load times are still long in this game. The initial load time from loading a save file is the worse of the bunch I will say. On average it’s about almost two minutes of loading. Really wish they could’ve fixed this from the original game. Outside of that the game looks great and plays great. I have been playing this game on my Switch so on the screen it looks great there too.

Overall, what I will say is that this probably one of the most original LEGO game that isn’t based off a movie like Star Wars or Harry Potter. What it is based on is the actual LEGO City build sets but, with an original story with original characters that you can come to enjoy. This game was originally for the WiiU back when the system launched and it was an exclusive for a long time. Now fast forward to now, Travelers Tale released this game on PlayStation 4 and XboxOne for everyone to finally enjoy this game. Which to me this game can now reach out to more people who never got a chance to play or never own a WiiU. Now they added a co-op option of play which is great so workload can now be split between two players. I highly recommend buying this game either for the Nintendo Switch, PS4 or XboxOne. Only thing I wish is that it would’ve been a cheaper price like $49.99 or even $39.99 this is a 4-year-old game after all.

Give the game a try and if you got little ones and want something new to play together this is it. Also if you enjoyed old school cop movies and TV shows, there is a lot of references to those classics. So keep an eye for it..

]]>https://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/2017/04/21/lego-city-undercover-a-week-later/feed/0nintendomikecNintendo Direct Post Reactionhttps://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/2017/04/13/nintendo-direct-post-reaction/
https://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/2017/04/13/nintendo-direct-post-reaction/#respondThu, 13 Apr 2017 19:09:23 +0000http://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/?p=1483Nintendo, I must say, you guys are on a new path that is destined for greatness. I mean that in the most serious way too. Why? Simply because they showed us in this direct that the Switch is going to be a great device to own for gamers and casual gamers alike. But, also for those are super dedicated to their Nintendo 3DS still, don’t worry games are still coming to that platform. This direct, genre variety wise was awesome. There was something for somebody in this direct.

Now of course they didn’t show much major major third-party games from developers but, there was still something. One thing I will take away is that, they still didn’t talk a little bit of Mario Odyssey, Fire Emblem Warriors or even Skyrim for that matter. Which leads me to believe that we will see those games (and many more) come this E3 which is only 62 days away. Also they are playing really smart too because even though, yes we do want Mario Odyssey, Fire Emblem Warriors or Xenoblade Chronicles 2, if they showed it early then what do they have to show off at E3? Wait to show off the big ones and even titles that are upcoming in 2018. So good on your Nintendo for giving us the right amount games to talk about now until end of Summer.

So lets talk about 3DS the first thing they talked about, because we all still care about our little bundle of joy. They showed off “Hey Pikmin” which is the new Pikmin game from last year at E3. Instead of the traditional way to play via running around a big world, they went with a 2D side scroller. I like the game and it’s really how cool how they are taking the Pikmin property and putting it in a different scheme. With this game, I do believe that for anyone who never played Pikmin before, then I do believe it’s a great to introduce to newcomers. Next “Ever Oasis” was another title that was talked about last year. I like how this game looks, I enjoy cute RPG journey games with cute stories and meaning. Be in mind that most of these games that I will talk about are all RPGs. Monster Hunter is coming once again to the Nintendo 3DS. Except unlike the traditional style of play, which is basically running and hunting. In Monster Hunter Stories however, you collect monsters to grow and have as your companion. Which I like, it changes the style of play also for the series so that more and more newcomers can try it out.

This year is Kirby’s 25th Anniversary, to celebrate Nintendo is releasing three new games for the 3DS. One of which is out now called Team Kirby Clash Deluxe. Now what this is a little adventure game where you team up with other Kirby’s and take one quests and your fight various bosses from the franchise. Now if you have played Kirby Planet RoboBot or Triple Deluxe, then you might have seen this game before. Now they want to release as a standalone game which is really cool. Followed by another title coming this summer called Kirby’s Blowout Blast which you go through 25 plus stages and get high scores by taking out enemies. Some other mentionable titles were Culdcept revolt which is like a card-board game hybrid game, I never heard of it before but, I am sure that there is an audience that has been looking forward to it.

Now we get to talk about ARMS. Now I never got the chance to play it, but after this direct, I am really looking forward to playing this game with friends and family members (just need another set of Joy-Cons first). But, what I am slightly worried about is this game identity. What I mean by that, is how will this game compare to other fighting games like Street Fighter and Tekken. Plus not only that, Nintendo really wants to put their hands in the esport scene then they have to make sure the message is clear with ARMS. Now outside of that I like how they explained that there is much more to the game. For instance the game does have characters that do have a special ability during fights. Like one can block off from incoming attacks and another can stop incoming attacks in the air. Just to name a few, but, Nintendo also showcased that there is plenty of different style of “Arms” to choose from, like example would be fists that have fire attributes, Ice attributes, shock and many more. You can also combine two different arms for different strategy fights, which is really cool and a great way to distinguish players fighting styles. Either way when the game launches on June 16 (right at the end of E3 2017) I will be picking this up. Along with the game there will be a new color Joy-Con (first of many) which is a Neon Yellow color which is this game main color, also a battery back up for Joy-Cons as well for those long sessions. Oh lastly, a new character named MinMin who has that mid-air kick ability and they introduced 2 vs. 2 battles for even more fun.

Next the other big main event, which is Splatoon 2. Now what I like that Nintendo did here is avoid the regluar multiplayer action and instead show off a new mode called Salmon Run. This is basically a horde mode like in Gears of War and Halo. You collect power eggs which you gain from defeating the “Chum” enemies. Later one close to the end of the wave you face against a boss to clear it. Golden eggs will then be dropped after a boss is defeated, which is the main objective of Salmon Run. This right here shows that Nintendo is very much aware of what different game modes that shooters offer. At the end of each Salmon Run, you gain rewards for the mode or maybe also for multiplayer, some fresh cloths if you will. With the fact that you can link up to 8 Switches, playing local or online will be no problem for Salmon Run. Lastly during this segment, new amiibo will be launching alongside the game. Inkling boy, girl and squid in the updated fresh look and previous amiibo will work with this game also. Splatoon 2 launches July 21st and same for the new amiibo.

Lastly this will be quick round of info for Switch games coming later this spring and summer. Minecraft Nintendo Switch version will launch on the eShop first on May 11th, it will come the Super Mario Mash Up Pack. This I am looking forward too, I love Minecraft, never thought that I would be buying this game again for the third time but, I am. Really can’t wait to play as Luigi and explore deep in the depths below. Eight days later, retailer will carry the Nintendo Switch Dock, which I might consider and leave it in my old town for when I visit I won’t have to pack the one I have. It is still on Nintendo’s online store website as well. THQ Nordic announced two games for the summer Sine Mora EX a 2D shooter side scroller and Battle Chasers Nightwar, a classic RPG game with the looks from Darksiders can’t wait for that one. PayDay 2, which is a big surprise from me. This is actually cool because the local play for this I can see can really bring in a crowd. Though this game is a couple of years old, bringing it to the Switch is still a good idea to reach an audience who may have not played it (Me), it launches later this year. Sonic Forces and Sonic Mania is coming also, Mania launches this summer which really goes back to the classic look of the original Sonic games with a fresh coat of paint. Don’t worry this is a new game altogether. Forces will launch later this year probably in the fall, so stay tuned for E3. Ubisoft will bring everybody (except me) Monopoly to the Switch, which can be played in tabletop mode (perfect for parties) or on the TV and will have HD rumble to have the feel of the dice rolling. Great for folks who play games casually. Namco is releasing Namco Musem which is basically a complation of classics such as Pac-Man, Dig Dug and many more. The game will also have a few that can be played multiplayer and even played like in the classic arcade cabinet when you put the Switch upright. It launches later this summer. Fate/EXTELLA: The Umbral Star which is a hack and slash game much like Dynasty Warriors will make its way to the Nintendo Switch on July 25th. So those are some of the other big games from third-party developers and publishers I am excited for a few (Fate/EXTELLA, Battle Chasers to name a few).

Super last, NEW AMIIBO yes thats right, three more Zelda amiibo are coming, Majora’s Mask child link, Twilight Princess Link and Skyward Sword link all coming on July 21st. Bayonetta, Corrion and Cloud amiibo the last three of the Super Smash Bros series amiibo will finally launch in July also. All three will have alternate versions and some will be retailer exclusive.

So overall it was a great direct I must say, a lot of release dates was announced which is even more exciting. My poor PlayStation 4 will get any play time, although I will be playing Destiny 2 but, with the variety of games coming in the rest of spring, summer we still have E3 to wait for, for the rest of the games coming to the Switch. I am crazy excited for more from Nintendo at E3.

What games did you like and are looking forward too? Share your opinions down below!

]]>https://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/2017/04/13/nintendo-direct-post-reaction/feed/0nintendomikecFirst Major Nintendo Direct Inboundhttps://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/2017/04/10/first-major-nintendo-direct-inbound/
https://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/2017/04/10/first-major-nintendo-direct-inbound/#respondMon, 10 Apr 2017 18:04:06 +0000http://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/?p=1427A month later after the Nintendo Switch launched and with a variety of over 20 game available now on the Nintendo Switch eShop. Nintendo will be hosting a Nintendo Direct this coming Wednesday on April 12th 6PM ET/3PM PT.

What they will be talking about is two of its major games Splatoon 2 and ARMS which are both slated for the Nintendo Switch this Spring and Summer. Hopefully we can get some solid release dates announcements for the two. Speaking of Splatoon 2, I did participate the Global Test Fire for the game. Which I had an absolute blast, work got in the way for playing at the other times. But, during my team I believe I did play a good 5 to a close 10 games. All games were smooth, I connected fairly quickly, suffered no lag issues or any connectivity issues. The Splat Duelies were my favorite weapon during the event, yes I did use the other weapons as well. But, the duelies were my go to weapons, and I look forward to using them more in the final version.

Splatoon 2 is shaping to keep up with the original game and I am fine with that. I understand folks are a little concerned that it might be too much the same, but I believe that there is more that we just don’t know yet that will finally be shown coming in a few days. ARMS will be the next main focus game during this direct, hopefully again another release date. I didn’t get the opportunity to play it while in Washington DC during their Nintendo Switch preview tour. But, watching my friend play it, it looks awesome and a lot of fun to play, I look forward to playing it myself. I still need to buy another set of Joy-Cons first before I do.

However there is also a little light to shine, even though these are the two main focus games, Nintendo will talk about other software in between for the Switch and Nintendo 3DS as well. This kind of new during the event can be ANYTHING but, won’t get talked too much. My only predication is probably snippets or maybe release dates for their other indie titles that are coming to the Switch or 3DS. Stay tuned but, I will say don’t hold your breath remember the focus is Splatoon 2 and ARMS. We still have over a month until E3 2017 to find out any more software and information to follow.

If you played Splatoon 2 or ARMS let me in the comments, and if you plan to buy these games for you Switch also.

]]>https://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/2017/04/10/first-major-nintendo-direct-inbound/feed/0nintendomikecSquareEnix to focus on Switch firsthttps://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/2017/04/07/squareenix-to-focus-on-switch-first/
https://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/2017/04/07/squareenix-to-focus-on-switch-first/#respondFri, 07 Apr 2017 22:08:16 +0000http://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/?p=1388So I just learned about this the other day, and it excited me a lot actually. So SquareEnix CEO Matsuda-kun was interviewed by Japanese publication Nikkei has said basically that they are focusing on the Nintendo Switch. Check out the interview here.

Why do I like this you ask? Well, simple, I posted a blog where I said SquareEnix can help the Nintendo Switch along with Capcom. It just might seem that it might just happen. A few clip notes as follows:

Talks about extending the life of titles through updates and DLC allowing them to continue selling for longer periods of time (FFXV in this case)

Notes that releasing titles in Japan than waiting several months to release their titles overseas is not a good business strategy, especially for their story/adventure focused titles and continues to note the importance of worldwide releases

Smartphone titles in the first half of 2016 did poorly, their motto this year is ‘something else’ as they have to stand out and be different from the competition in order to attract users on phones and not just continue making these games using the same templates as they have before

Smartphone users aren’t just looking for light games anymore, but more hardcore experiences

Japan/China/North America account for 80% of the smartphone market, so no need for worldwide releases for smartphone titles

Has an interest in the Middle East/India as a potentially large untapped market for the future

This part about Switch is interesting. Matsuda said that having more platforms is good for content creators, therefore he would like Switch to be successful. He also wants more titles in development and existing ones to be ported to Switch if they’re possible/feasible.

I almost forgot to mention that the company is also focusing on Microsoft’s upcoming console Project Scorpio as well. But again their main focus right now is the Nintendo Switch. I love this because I enjoy playing SquareEnix games and they are very talented development studio that has brought us classics such as Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, and Final Fantasy Tactics to name a few.

Also as of today, a SquareEnix developer has teased on their twitter today with this:

Which couldn’t be even more exciting for Nintendo Switch owners. Now of course it is just a teaser, but, as big as company that SquareEnix is, it’s pretty promising. Of course we know that Dragon Quest IX & X is still coming to the Nintendo Switch along with Dragon Quest Heroes I & II as well. With this news however, this can lead into anything. Maybe ports of Kingdom Heart games, Final Fantasy XV or even the potential of the Final Fantasy VII HD remake. I don’t know, but SquareEnix to me looks like they are going all in for the Nintendo Switch.

This is something I have been hoping to hear, maybe by E3 2017 during Nintendo press even probably via a Nintendo Direct we can learn about those 80 developers that bringing games to the Switch. We know that Nintendo has gotten the support of great Indie Developers, but the real question is who else outside of who we already know (SquareEnix, Bethesda) is developing software for the Nintendo Switch but, what about the other suitors who plan to bring over software? With Square being one of those developers basically “officially/unofficially confirming that they are looking into porting and bringing new IPs to the Switch outside of what they already confirmed. But, man can I say that if and this is one big if, Kingdom Hearts ports can come to the Switch, this can be huge for Switch Players. There are over six Kingdom Hearts games, all filled with possibility hundreds of hours of playtime with each one. This can just draw in more folks who still never played Kingdom Hearts games.

Main series Final Fantasy games is another potential suitor also. Again there is still folks like myself, who still haven’t played Final Fantasy XV. Yes I know it is still available on the other platforms, but to me with SquareEnix saying they want to port over some of their games only if possible, it just makes me want to wait for to announce it, again only if possible. Remember the Switch presentation back in January? Remember the game called “Project Ocotopath”? Well that’s one of the games coming from SquareEnix, which to me looks very interesting. It can be anything like maybe a new Bravely game making its transition to the console, who knows.

Bottom line Switch owners should be excited in the months to come, I am super optimistic of what is to come from the third-party support at E3 this year.

So what do you guys think of what SquareEnix is up to for the Switch? What games you think they should port over for the Switch? Share your thoughts with me down below.

]]>https://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/2017/04/07/squareenix-to-focus-on-switch-first/feed/0nintendomikecIs the Console Market Ready?…https://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/2017/04/07/is-the-console-market-ready/
https://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/2017/04/07/is-the-console-market-ready/#respondFri, 07 Apr 2017 20:52:33 +0000http://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/?p=1352So yesterday Microsoft released the official specifications of their upcoming home console code-named “Xbox Scorpio”. You can find it here.

So my big question is this, in 2017 is the console market ready for “True 4K Gaming”? And after so soon because the PlayStation 4 and XboxOne were just released back only four years ago. Which leads to another question is it time already for a new consoles?

With virtual reality slowly on the rise for both PC and consoles, and with Microsoft, still haven’t released their VR kit named Hololens, who knows when it come out. Console market gaming has a something going for them. But, now with 4K televisions becoming more and more affordable for the market and with 4K edition movies are slowly becoming the new standard. Both Microsoft and Sony have started shifting towards the next big thing, 4K Gaming. As you may know last year Microsoft released the XboxOne S systems for $299.99 with updated features including one of them offering 4K UHD video playback and 4K gaming. Not only that, Sony’s PlayStation big boy console the PlayStation 4 Pro offers the same thing for $100 more just with a bigger internal hard drive.

To me, an upgraded version or generation two of the current existing consoles does make sense to me, but, again at hitting the four-year mark this year is it time for new consoles? You see, think back all the way to 2005 and 2006 when the Xbox360 (2005) and PlayStation 3 (2006) were released for basically ten years both companies pushed their consoles to the max with their first party developers and as well as their third-party friends to further push it along. That to me was the most impressive feat in gaming history, going ten years before making new ones. Now in 2017 with Microsoft announcing Project Scorpio last year at E3, now announcing its official specs it just seems to me that Microsoft is just trying to play catch up with the three steps ahead PC market.

PC gaming and starting which I believe was the Nvidia 970 & 980 series graphics card which offered abilities for 4K was there. But, of course there wasn’t many games that helped enhance PC games to beyond the 1080P scale. Fast Forward to now, many developers are thinking this. Gurrela games successful title Horizon: Zero Dawn is one of PlayStation’s first game to offer 4K gaming. Third-party games such as Rise of the Tomb Raider and Deus Ex Mankind Divided to name a few offer 4K enhancements but, not true 4K…yet.

But again, is it time to finally have games render in full 4K? Yes I believe so, is it time for new consoles altogether? No. With the fact that 4K televisions are now at this point a standard in most homes why not? Plus developers can still have their games still render to full 1080P for gamers who still don’t own a 4K TV. One thing I personally hope that most developers still have amazing art where the high graphics can compensate it, where years down the line where gaming will hit the next generation of graphics like 8K for example, we can look back and say, “yea that (insert game title here) still looks good today”.

I am excited for Microsoft next baby in Project Scorpio, I personally am not picking one up. For only because my primary console isn’t any Xbox system, despite me owning a XboxOne, I play just for their exclusives and time to time some third-party games. Do I think the Scorpio will be the most powerful console ever, possibility and I only say that because now its just a battle of who can push out the strongest graphics. Who knows what PlayStation will do, either stay behind their PlayStation 4 Pro, or go ahead and make a new console as well to match the Scorpio specs. My gaming needs are simple, give me some great gameplay which is the most important feature and sure I love a good visual showcase. Yes your game can look beautiful, gorgeous and powerful, but, if the gameplay sucks expect me (and many others) not to play much more of the game.

So what do you guys think? Come probably E3 2017 during Microsoft press event, will you pre-order then trade in your XboxOne for Project Scorpio, or will you sit and wait until games with “True 4K gaming” will catch on? Leave your comments down below.

]]>https://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/2017/04/07/is-the-console-market-ready/feed/0nintendomikecThe Needs & Wants of Destiny 2https://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/2017/04/05/the-needs-wants-of-destiny-2/
https://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/2017/04/05/the-needs-wants-of-destiny-2/#respondWed, 05 Apr 2017 19:13:08 +0000http://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/?p=1295With now only five more months until Bungie’s sequel Destiny 2 comes out, I thought I’d share with you guys some much-needed features that Destiny 2 needs mixed with a couple of wants. New Guardians will be rising, lets show the new kids what Destiny is all about.

Story

Bungie has been known to tell amazing stories in their games, look at their previous works of the Halo series before 2010. Those games alone told great stories that made you feel and care for the characters in the cast. In the first installment of Destiny what we got was a rather bland, confusing and poorly told narrative that lead us with more questions than any answer we can get. So the story and writing staff of Bungie needs to come together and tell us a story where we can actually care about the characters like Cayde-6, Ikora Ray and Commander Zavala. One main thing they need to take away is having us players that care about story, should not have to resort going to Bungie site and read little cards to get more explanation of the story. Its one thing if you do in it like a spin-off book like they did for the expanded Halo universe but, it’s another thing if we have to go back and forth between playing the game and following up with the story I just finished to get some closure. That being said, an actual campaign needs to be in Destiny 2.

Destiny offers such great characters that are voiced by great actors and actresses, the time is now to stop wasting their time and have a really tell a story that we can care about. Show character development, matter fact not just characters but, the world too. How long between the events of Destiny and Destiny 2? Has the city gotten better after what happened in Rise of Iron? If they decided to continue the story from there. What is the fate of The Stranger, Eris Morn, and Lord Saladin? Do they come back to help, rebuild and guide us in Destiny 2 or will they just fade into obscurity?

Gameplay

More so about how level up your progress. The core mechanics are fine, I am more so focusing the leveling up process. What I mean by that is, Destiny has a focus about a progress called “Light Level”. Light level is the after progress after you achieved a certain base level like either 25 or 40. Light level will determine how well you fight against the enemy forces. The higher you are the more damage and armor resistance you have against the enemy. I am OK with the mechanic but, I think it needs to change by just making it easier to just find different weapons and gear, like each time you achieve a higher light, gear and weapons should start dropping at higher levels if you can maintain your current light level. Exploration needs to be thing when out and about in Destiny 2. The first game did offer some great areas to explore, but make those worlds fun and rewarding. Take some pointers from Zelda Breath of the World where you explore this one area that is filled with tough enemies, once you have the right level and gear, go back and claim what lies there. Lastly don’t limit how far a player can go when stumbling upon different areas within a planet.

I have always been a fan of the different variety of both ships and sparrows you can collect in Destiny, sadly they have only been visual flare. In Destiny 2 they need to be more useful, for example for the sparrows, the vehicles remind me very much like Speeder Bikes from Star Wars. Speeder Bikes offer a small blaster for self-defense purposes. I understand we have the enemy vehicle types that offer that, but those are only provided in a certain area. If it gets destroyed then you will have to go all the way back to where you first got it. Sparrows are always ready and available for players and it is players main source of travel on land. In Space however, Bungie has done space battles before and I know they can do it again for Destiny 2. I want space battles to be a thing for this game, wouldn’t be cool to see your awesome raid ship have not just a visual flare but also be really powerful too? Well, this needs to happen because why not only just explore the various planets but, space too?

Another aspect that needs to get restructured is the Questing. When it was first officially introduced in The Taken King Expansions there have been some really tough quests that offered very little explanation or clues on moving on with it. Lastly to round-up for gameplay, I hope Bungie can try to get dedicated servers for the multiplayer portion of the game. Too many times where Destiny servers can crash because it uses the same one for the single player gameplay. With the help of dedicated servers can help between multiplayer games and PVE games.

This is just a little thing but, I want to be able to find the legendary Ahamkara monster and tame it. It’s a little random but one of my closet friend said that and I just thought that it sounded really cool. Shout out to him for suggesting that. I really want to get rid of items like Ether seeds and various other items that can help with glimmer (which is the in-game currency) and dispose of them when I don’t need it anymore. You can start your own store with those if you collect enough of them. Trading is something I have been asking for, it can be make things easier. For example lets say if I have a ton of materials but a friend needs some instead of farming I can just send him some. Little things that like can help out not only your friends but yourself as well for clearing out inventory.

So those are just a few of my friends and I suggestions that we want in the upcoming Destiny 2 game. What are somethings you want to see or go in Destiny 2 down below.

]]>https://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/2017/04/05/the-needs-wants-of-destiny-2/feed/0destiny_2-600x338nintendomikecDestiny 2 will launch this Fallhttps://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/2017/03/30/destiny-2-will-launch-this-fall/
https://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/2017/03/30/destiny-2-will-launch-this-fall/#respondThu, 30 Mar 2017 18:40:08 +0000http://nintendomikec.wordpress.com/?p=1245So after years of speculating, wondering and asking, September 8th Bungie will release the long-awaited sequel Destiny 2. Today the released the trailer for the game. Looks like this time around it will be a truly story driven game, which is good because that is something I have been asking for since the beginning for the first game. The main enemy focus this time is everyone favorite… The Cabal. Or also known as the bullet sponges of Destiny. I am looking forward to it because out of all enemy faction types, The Cabal is my favorite faction to fight against.

The trailer shows off the loss of the City because The Cabal attacking it and what will be the next plan for the Guardians. This game also shows how close Guardians are to one another and of course the very people they protect. Also for original Guardians, sad to say goodbye of our beloved loot, weapons, and armor for the Cabal somehow destroyed our entire vault. So Bungie will be saying this will be a new clean slate for us Guardians, for I think it is a new era of weapons, armor and different kinds of loot to hunt for. One big surprise is that, it will be coming to PC this time. Which I am happy for, I am personally going on PlayStation 4 myself, but I know players have been asking for PC version for a really long time and yes XboxOne as well. Lastly to wrap it up, Bungie has announced a limited edition for the game that will retail for $99.99 and a collectors for $249.99 I’ll write the details of what is included shortly. An expansion has also been announced as well so if you are ready to go all in you can pre-order it all online store or local retailer. Oh and there is digital deluxe also for $89.99 for the digital users, that will come with the game and expansion pass also.

The Destiny 2 Limited Edition will come with the following:

Destiny 2 Base Game

Destiny 2 Expansion Pass, get access for both expansions when they become available (probably post launch)

Premium digital in-game content:

Legendary Sword

Legendary Player Emote

Cabal Themed Emblem

Steelbook case

Cabal collectors box that comes with, a booklet with the secrets of the Cabal Empire, Cabal Schematics, collectable postcards images, and Cabal Military Pawns.

Now for $249.99 the collectors with come with the same as the limited edition but, a little bit more:

Comes with a neat and pretty cool looking messenger bag that can double as a backpack and a solar blanket. You can pre-order the game right now at major retailers. I hope to play and fight alongside you guys in this game.

So that will wrap it this time folks, stay tuned for anything Destiny 2 and all other games also. Be sure to follow me for more content, also follow me on social media with @NintendoMikeC on Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr. Happy Gaming and Happy Looting Guardians.